but I don't see why I should be loyal to a show that treats its fans so badly

Word! I can watch shows that are full of plot holes. I can watch shows where some characters are killed off at random and others seem to be made of teflon.
What I won't watch is a show where the fans are consistently lied to and abused by the shows creators. I get that making a TV show is not a democratic process between the creators and the viewers, but if TPTB can't respect their audience (even while they're breaking their hearts), well, I'm done with them.